


Starting over

by madnephelite



Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Mutual Pining, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-02-15 19:51:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18676318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madnephelite/pseuds/madnephelite
Summary: A Grey's Anatomy take on Station 19 and Vicley.





	1. A Good Lay

**Author's Note:**

> I once sent this as a prompt to someone but it never happened so I decided to take a shot at it myself. I hope you guys enjoy!

Victoria Hughes has been in Seattle for a little over 72 hours and she was anxious about her first day at work. She hoped that she would like her new team at 19. Hoped that she would get along with them and that they would like her.

She looks at her watch and realizes that it’s only 6pm and she really doesn’t want to be in her new apartment all by herself. She needs a few drinks and maybe a good lay. Maybe that would help her to relax.

She quickly puts on her little black dress, lets her curls loose and adds some lipstick and mascara to her face and then she is out the door to have some fun. She probably shouldn’t, probably should sleep so she is rested for her first 24 hour shift but she is restless and she desperately needs some kind of company.

She decides to go to Joe’s bar. It looks nice and there is a lot of people there for her to mingle with. She takes a seat at the bar and orders a couple of shots of vodka and a beer. She doesn’t want to get drunk just a little buzzed and she can usually hold her liquor, always managed to outdrink the frat boys in college.

She is at her third shot when someone sits down beside her. She can’t really see his face but she can make out a beard and he has blonde hair. He smells nice and is wearing a gorgeous green sweater that looks quite cozy. Vic feels the heat radiate off of him and it makes her incredibly hot, so much that she has to take off her leather jacket.

She hears him order a beer and his voice is so smooth and it does things to her. Vic wouldn’t mind taking orders from him. She turns around to get a glimpse of his face as he grabs his beer and the next thing she knows someone is pushing him and his beer is in her lap and she is soaking wet and not in the good way.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” he apologizes as he grabs the bottle from her lap and then a couple of napkins to wipe her dress until he realizes what he is doing and drops them onto the floor. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t -- I wasn’t thinking and I swear this was not me trying to feel you up or anything. I...” he stops talking as he finally looks into her eyes and his breath catches in his throat.

Vic’s breath hitches for she has never seen more gorgeous blue eyes than his before and he may be a little bit older than her but he is handsome and she thinks she may have found the perfect candidate to take home tonight.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” she tells him and smiles. “I know how you can make it up to me.” she tells him suggestively and he is taken aback a bit, she can tell by the look in his eyes.

“Really? After I ruined your dress?” he asks surprised.

“You’re hot and I’m hot. Don't stand there and try to tell me you're not feeling exactly the same way.” she whispers and he swallows.

He doesn’t answer just grabs her hand and they leave the bar in a hurry.

“My car is just around the corner.” he says as they exit the bar. “I haven’t had a drink, so I’m totally sober.”

Vic smiles at him. _He is Mr. Responsible_ , she thinks.

“That’s good to know.” she replies as she tugs at his hand. He stops and turns around to look at her when she wraps her arms around his neck and brings his lips down to hers in a hot, wet kiss. Her tongue tangles with his as she feels his arms go around her waist to pull her closer to him. She feels his solid body against hers and it makes her knees weak. She can’t wait to have him naked and inside of her.

“Damn! If we don’t stop then I’m going to fuck you right here, right now.” he moans against her lips.

“I don’t see a problem with that.” Vic whispers into his ear and bites it lightly. She feels his knees buckle, making her chuckle.

“You are driving me insane.” he groans as he retrieves the car keys from his pocket. She removes her arms from around his neck and pouts.

“Okay. I will stop until we are at my place but then I can’t guarantee for anything. I want you so much. All night long. Are you up for that?” she asks and he nods enthusiastically.

They get into his car and Vic gives him directions to her place. At some point her hand lands on his thigh but he doesn’t seem to mind, doesn’t say a word about it until her hand starts wandering up towards his crotch and she palms him through his jeans.

“Fuck! I thought you were going to behave until we are at your place?” he says as calmly as possible while she puts a little bit more pressure on him.

“Oops. I lied!” she says as her hand starts unzipping his pants.

“Either you stop or I’m going to pull over. I can’t concentrate with you doing this and I don’t want to crash into anything.”

That makes Vic stop what she is doing as she pulls her hand away from him and sits back into her seat.

“Then you better hurry up because I can’t wait any longer.” she lets him know as she rubs her thighs together and her hand starts squeezing her breast, making her moan which gets his attention.

“You are not playing fair, you know that?” he complains and she laughs.

“I’m just warming up, so I’m all wet and ready for you when we get to my place.” she teases with a glint in her eyes and he curses again.

They make it to her place in record time. He stops the car and next things she knows he is practically dragging her out of it and into her building, into the elevator. The door isn’t even closed yet when he is attacking her mouth.

“So impatient.” she teases and he chuckles.

“Says you who just teased me the entire drive here.” he is kissing down her neck while his hands are massaging her butt and pulling her closer towards him. She can feel him hard against her stomach and she can tell that he is not small. Already felt it when she cupped him in his car.

The elevator doors open and she leads him to her apartment, quickly unlocks the door and lets them both in. He doesn’t waste a second as he is basically ripping the dress off of her body and Vic is so turned on, doesn’t even care that her dress is completely ruined.

“Fuck! You are not wearing anything underneath.” he notes as he stares at her naked body. “You are so gorgeous.” he tells her as he cups one breast and starts playing with her nipple while the other one cups her cheek and he brings his lips down to hers in a bruising kiss that makes her moan.

She feels his hand move lower until he is finally where she is wet and ready for him. His fingers brush against her sensitive clit and her knees buckle but he is holding her firmly.

“You are so wet for me.” he groans as he starts teasing her folds with his colossal fingers.

Vic moans and writhes as he enters her with two fingers while his thumbs keeps the pressure on her clit and it doesn’t take her long and she is coming with a shout.

“That was hot!” she smiles at him as she watches him lick his fingers clean and it’s such a turn on.

“You taste amazing.” he tells her and smirks.

“And you are wearing way too many clothes. I need you naked and in me like yesterday.” she says as she pulls off his sweater and unzips his pants until he is naked in front of her. She licks her lips at the sight of him. She was right. His cock is long and thick and she just can’t wait for him to fuck her.

She takes his hand and leads him into her bedroom, lies down onto her bed in all her naked glory and he just stares at her.

“Are you waiting for an invitation?” she teases and he laughs.

“No, just enjoying the view. You really are gorgeous.” he tells her again as he licks his lips and then finally lies down on top of her, taking himself into his hand and then he is slowly entering her and she moans at the feel of him finally inside of her.

He goes slow at first but the louder she moans and screams for more, the harder and faster he pounds into her until she is clenching around him and coming once again. He keeps the pace and just rams into her.

“You feel so good. I’m so close again. Please, don’t stop. Just keep hitting that spot. I’m gonna come again. Please!” she babbles and he doesn’t stop, just fucks her harder and deeper and she is coming again and it feels amazing how tight she is. It only take a few more thrust before he is spilling into her and just collapses onto her breathlessly. She doesn’t seem to mind his weight on top of her. Keeps her legs and arms wrapped around him so he can’t pull out.

“Just give me a moment. I want to feel you all around me.” she admits and he smiles and kisses her plump lips until she finally loosens her grip on him and he pulls out and plops down beside her.

Vic turns onto her side to look at him, “I just realized that I don’t even know your name.” she says and he laughs.

“I’m Luke. Nice to meet you.” he offers and turn on his side to look at her as well.

“I’m Vic. Nice to meet you, too.” they both laugh at how ridiculous this whole thing is.

“Do you want me to leave?” he asks and she shakes her head.

“Unless you want or have to.” he shakes his head, wraps his arms around her and pulls the covers over their naked bodies. They fall into a peaceful sleep in the matter of minutes.

Vic wakes up the next morning and she can hear her shower running. She wants nothing more than to join him but she can’t be late for her first day at work. She figures she can shower there and she wants to be there early to get a feel of the station and maybe, hopefully meet some of her new colleagues before the actual shift starts.

She quickly grabs a piece of paper and writes down a message for Luke.

_This was supposed to be a one and done but I had so much fun last night and I like you. I would love to repeat last night if you want to as well._  
_I left my number in your phone, so call me._  
_Sorry for just running out on you but I don’t wanna be late for work._  
_Hope I’ll see you._

_Vic xx_

Vic quickly dresses and then runs out the door, down the stairs and into her car.

She makes it to work an hour before her shift starts, has enough time to take a shower, change into her uniform and do her hair.

She takes a look around and lands outside the Captain’s office. She figures that the captain must be there already. So she knocks on the door and hears a faint “Come in.”.

She opens the door and is about to greet her new Captain when he turns around and she comes face to face with the guy from last night.

“Luke?” “Vic?” they say at the same time and just stare at each other, shock and surprise all over their faces.

This was certainly not how Vic planned to start her first day. When she thought about taking orders from him she definitely didn’t think of it that way. She was so screwed.


	2. The New Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic meets her boss and new colleagues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the show has me frustrated and disappointed. I hate that they just killed off Ripley and dropped Vicley like that but I won't stop writing because I think they deserve to be remembered and fans should keep them alive even if the show and writers are not.
> 
> So I really hope that everyone keep writing for these two. They are magic and I would love to read more from everyone.

“You are my captain?” “You are my new rookie?” they say at the same time and shake their heads in disbelief.

“This can’t be happening. Do you know how bad this is?” he is pacing up and down, hands on his hips.

“We literally didn’t even know each others names when we slept together. This is no big deal. So what if we slept together. It was a one time thing and we are both grown ups and we just forget it happened and do our jobs.”

“I thought it wasn’t a one time thing and you wanted to see me again?” Vic thinks she hears hurt in his voice but ignores it.

“Well obviously that is no longer the case. I love my job. You are my boss and I’m your rookie. That’s all we are.” Vic tells him and he stops pacing and studies her for a moment.

“I can have you transferred to another station.” he suggests and Vic is about to lose it.

“The hell you are. I’m not gonna let you transfer me before I even officially start my first day and have people wonder what I did wrong and have them treat me like a pariah. You are a grown man. Things like this happen. Deal with it.” she yells at him and he looks somewhat taken aback but also intrigued and maybe a little aroused.

“You just yelled at me.” he says amused.

“I did but you had it coming.”

“You know I could fire you for that.” he says but it sounds more like a tease than anything.

“Oh really?” Vic smirks as he comes closer.

“I was looking forward to seeing more of you.” he admits as he stops right in front of her but doesn’t touch her.

“Well, you will be seeing more of me just not the way we both would have wanted.” she tells him and licks her lips. His eyes land on her lips and then go back to her eyes and he is licking his lips too and Vic can’t help the pull she feels towards this man.

“Since we didn’t have a proper goodbye this morning because you ran out of your own apartment...” he chuckles. “I suggest we get this out of our systems, so we can work together without any problems.” she raises an eyebrow at that.

“You were about to have me transferred and now you wanna have sex with me? In here, right now?” VIc asks amused.

“Only if you want to.” he is right in front of her, so close that she can feel his breath on her face, all Vic has to do is lean in and she wants to so badly. She wants to kiss him one last time, wants to have him inside of her one last time.

“Lock. The. Door.” she orders and he obeys.

Before she knows it she is pressed against his table while he is attacking her lips with his, letting his tongue slide into her mouth, dueling with hers. Vic’s arms go around his neck to pull him closer, to feel his body against hers.

“My bunk. Now.” he says gruffly as they make their way there, stripping each other off their uniforms, only breaking the kiss to take off each others shirts. Lucas sits down on the bed as she climbs into his lap, taking him into her hand, guiding him to her entrance before slowly sinking down onto him, taking him to the hilt. They both moan at the feel of each other and Vic feels so full and so good with him buried so deep inside of her. She doesn’t want to end this but she knows this is the last time and she will make the most of it. She starts riding him fast and hard. They don’t have much time and don’t want to get caught by their colleagues. His hands are on her hips moving her up and down on his cock while his lips are kissing her neck, leaving little love bites there.

“Please tell me you are close?” he asks and she nods as one of his hands worms itself between them and circles her clit and then she is contracting around him and coming hard with a shout of his name. He follows a moment later, spilling into her and she loves that feeling, knows she will miss this with him but it’s for the best.

They quickly get dressed and she is about to leave when she turns around and kisses him one more time. She walks away with a smirk on her face leaving him totally flabbergasted.

\----------

“Hey, new girl!” she hears someone say. When she turns around to look at the person she finds a tall, dark haired guy with lots of freckles who smiles at her.

“You know I have a name.” she teases him and he chuckles.

“Well, we haven’t been introduced yet so you are new girl to me.”

“I’m Victoria Hughes but everyone calls me Vic.” she offers her hand.

“I’m Travis Montgomery.” he replies as he shakes it and Vic smiles at him. “So how do you like it here, new girl?” he teases again and she rolls her eyes.

“I haven’t really seen all that much yet and you are the first person I met.”

“Didn’t you just come out the Captain’s office?” Travis asks and Vic tries her hardest not to blush.

“Oh yeah. Of course I met the captain but you know what I mean.” Travis nods.

“Well, then let’s go have breakfast in the Beanery. We all eat together.”

“All? The captain eats with us?” Vic asks surprised and a little nervous.

“Yeah. Captain Ripley calls it team bonding. He is a great guy. Great hair.” he mentions and Vic looks at him and chuckles. “He is totally hands on. Always ready to get his hands dirty unlike other captains. You are going to love him.” and if Vic didn’t think of his hands and just how dirty Lucas can be she would be lying and she doesn’t want to end up loving him. That’s the last thing she should do.

“He sounds like a great guy.” she simply says and Travis nods.

“He really is. Too bad he likes women.” he laughs and Vic can’t help but laugh too. “But then again I’m happily married and you know, hooking up with the boss is a big nono.” he raises his hand to proudly show off his wedding band.

“What’s his name?” Vic tries not to think of the other thing Travis just mentioned. She knows that hooking up with the boss is wrong, that’s why she no longer is.

“His name is Michael. He is a lieutenant at 23.”

“Oh, your husband is a firefighter? How does that work?”

“Oh don’t ask him that. He will start telling you their entire love story now.” someone says and Vic looks at a tall, black guy that looks like he could smash her like the Hulk.

“Hi, my name is Dean Miller. You must be the new girl.” 

“Also known as Victoria Hughes but you can call me Vic.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Vic. I’m glad we have another female firefighter in the house.”

“How many are there?” she asks as she hears female voice behind her.

“There is two of them and here they come.” Vic turns around and finds a short blonde and brunette entering. They are laughing and talking and Vic can tell that they are close. She hopes that she fits in with them.

“Oh hey, you must be Victoria Hughes.” the brunette extends her hand and Vic shakes it. “I’m Lieutenant Andy Herrera. Good to have you hear. We need more women doing this job.”

“I’m her best friend, Maya Bishop.” the blonde says in a cheery voice.

Vic hears the door open and Lucas walk in. She feels her cheeks burn thinking of what they did last night and just a moment ago in his office as her eyes find his and he gives her a warm smile that makes her weak in the knees.

“I see you all have met our newest member here at 19. Welcome Hughes!” he nods and smiles. “So, let’s get breakfast started.” he looks around. “Where is Gibson?”

“I’m right here, sir. Sorry my car broke down.” he apologizes and looks at Vic

“Hi, you must be the new girl, right? Victoria Hughes?” he shakes her hand. “I’m Lieutenant Jack Gibson. Welcome to 19!” he says as he goes to work to prepare breakfast with Dean and Lucas while Vic sits down to chat with the girls and Travis.

Vic can’t help but steal glances at her captain. Damn him for being so good looking. She catches him look at her too and smile and Vic can’t help but wonder how long it will take for them to fall into bed again.

“Hey Vic, do you have a boyfriend?” Travis wants to know.

“Or girlfriend?” Maya adds as the guys put the food on the table.

Everyone sits down to eat and Lucas takes the seat at the head of the table right next to Vic, their legs brushing against each other underneath it. Vic swallows hard as she feels a jolt of electricity go through her body and when she looks at him she can tell that he felt it too.

“Um, no boyfriend or girlfriend. I just moved here from New York.” she explains.

“Okay, so if you don’t have either of those who left that hickey on your neck then?” Maya wonders and Vic chokes on her water.

“What hickey?” she didn’t notice a hickey this morning. She is pretty sure there wasn’t a hickey on her neck when she left her apartment so if there is one now it must be from before.

“It looks kinda fresh. Admit it you had hot morning sex with a handsome stranger.” Maya says and everyone laughs while Vic wants the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

She feels Lucas hand on her knee and looks up at him for help because this is all his fault.

“Okay, guys how about we don’t make our new rookie uncomfortable on her first day and have her running to HR? Let’s just eat and get to work.” he gives her a reassuring smile and she smiles back while squeezing his hand underneath the table. They finish up breakfast doing small talk without anyone bringing up anymore hickeys or boyfriends. 

Vic decides that she likes her new team. She thinks that she will fit in perfectly. She has no idea though how she will deal with seeing Lucas all the time when she feels this attraction towards him and was hoping that they could be more. That’s kinda impossible now. She can’t be the rookie that is sleeping with her boss. She always wanted to be a firefighter and can’t ruin that with a romance at work. She makes a pact with herself that she would stay away from him and be professional. She couldn’t risk her job and reputation.


	3. Friends?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas and Vic decide to give friendship a go.

Lucas Ripley has always considered himself a rational man. He has always considered himself as someone who follows the rules and protocol which was very important in his line of work and could determine whether someone lived or died. He had been doing this job for over ten years and had given it his everything. The job had cost him two marriages and after his second divorce he had concentrated solely on his job. It had been four years since his divorce from Eva and he hadn’t been with anyone in that time until he met her, Victoria Hughes. Lucas Ripley was not one for one night stands but when Victoria proposed to go to her place before they had even introduced themselves to each other he was just powerless. Something about her intrigued him and he just needed to be with her. He had been excited when he read her little note about wanting to see him again and then she turned out to be his new rookie and everything just went to hell.

That he slept with her once when he didn’t know who she was wouldn’t have been a problem but he slept with her again afterwards and in his office at that and that was a problem. He was thinking about her right now and that was a problem. He was thinking of her in a way a captain should not be thinking about his rookie and that was a big problem.

It has been four weeks since he met her and he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her. It has become a problem because having her around him has become a distraction and he knew that it wasn’t her fault. It was his own fault because he couldn’t stop his feelings for her. She had obviously no problems with that. She acted professional, like nothing had happened between them and that killed him. He wondered why she wasn’t as affected by him as he was by her.

He even thought about transferring himself out of 19, maybe switching with his best friend Captain Sullivan who is at 88. Sully had always wanted to captain Station 19 so maybe this could be his chance. Maybe this could also change Victoria’s mind about being with him. He is lost in thoughts that he almost doesn’t hear the knock on the door. When he looks up, he finds her standing there waiting for him to wave her in. He gives her a quick nod and she walks into his office.

“I can come back later if this is not a good time?” she suggests but he shakes his head. “You know you are not as subtle as you think you are.” she tells him and he looks confused.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about us.”

“I thought there is no us?” that’s the last thing he wants to discuss right now.

“There isn’t on my end but you don’t seem to have gotten the memo.” she sounds somewhat annoyed or angry. He can’t quite pinpoint it.

“Am I making you uncomfortable? That’s the last thing I want. I’m sorry, Vi- Hughes.”

“You are not making me uncomfortable. You just...” she stops and takes a breath. “You are making it harder on both of us.”

“I’m confused.” he doesn’t understand what she is getting at.

“It’s kinda hard to forget what happened between us when you are always there.” and now he is even more confused.

“We work together. I am your captain. Of course I’m always there.” he explains and she sighs and throws her hands in the air.

“That’s not what I mean.” she says as he stands up and moves towards her.

“Then what do you mean? You are very confusing right now.” he half-yells as he stands right in front of her.

“I mean this. This here right now. Why did you have to get up from your chair to stand so close to me? You do this all the time and it’s making me...” she stops and he takes a step back from her.

“So I am making you uncomfortable.” he says and takes another step back.

“No, you are doing the opposite, okay?” she finally admits. “You are a distraction. When you are standing so close to me all I can think about is how it felt to be with you and it makes this job harder and it makes me forget things that I shouldn’t be forgetting in this line of work.”

“I could transfer.” her eyes go wide at his suggestion.

“What? No. That’s unacceptable.” she tells him and he smiles.

“Why? If I’m no longer your captain we can try this and see where it goes.”

“The team and I have finally gotten to really know each other and like each other and if you leave only so we can date they will hate me for breaking up a family and I can’t have that. It’s the first time I feel like I belong somewhere. I can’t lose that. I’m not gonna be the Yoko Ono of Station 19.” he chuckles at her last comment.

“Then what do you suggest? It’s obvious that there is something between us and neither of us knows how to work around each other.”

“I just need you to not be in my personal space all the time. I can’t have you so close to me because all I want to do is...”

“Kiss me?” he finishes her sentence and she nods.

“But we can’t and we shouldn’t and you know that I’m right. So, I just need you to back off, please.” she begs and he feels awful.

“I understand and I’m sorry about this. I thought that this didn’t affect you at all.“ he explains and she huffs.

“Well you thought wrong. This affects me more than it should and I just need some space. Can you give me that?” she pleads and there is nothing he can do but nod at her.

  
“I will do my best to give you your space. I am sorry.” he says and she nods before leaving his office.

Lucas is upset with himself right now. She may have said that he didn’t make her feel uncomfortable but she obviously has been and that is the last thing he ever wanted to do. He needed to get his head straight. He needed to forget about Victoria and he needed a new distraction or more like an old one.

He grabs his phone and dials a number that he hasn’t in years. He is not even sure if the number is still working but then he hears someone pick up and it’s definitely her.

“Hey Eva, it’s Luke. What are you doing tonight?” Lucas know that this is the worst idea but Eva had always been good at making him forget about the things that he didn’t want to deal with and Victoria Hughes and his obvious attraction to her was one of those things.

They talk for awhile and make plans for the evening, dinner and drinks and then probably back to his place. Lucas hopes that something good will come from this really bad idea.

\----------

Vic walks out of his office and she feels like crying. What was it about Lucas Ripley that made her so weak? It wasn’t like he was  _ that _ attractive.  _ Lie. _ Her brain says and it’s true. She doesn’t think that she had ever seen a guy more handsome than him. He is everything she didn’t think she ever wanted. He is also a great firefighter and captain. In the month she had spend at the station she realized that this team was a family and she was sure that it was due to him. He was a friend to all of them. Listened to them, encouraged them and was always there when they needed him to be. He didn’t just bellow orders but actually did get his hands dirty like Travis said on her first day. Lucas Ripley was probably the most amazing guy she has ever met and he seemed to like her and she liked him yet there was no way they could ever be together unless one of them gave up their job and she didn’t want that.

She needed a distraction and she needed it now.

“Hey Vic,” she hears Travis call out.

“Hey Trav, what can I do for you?” she tries to sound cheerful.

“Michael and I are going out for drinks tonight. Do you want to join us?” 

“YES!” she shouts and Travis chuckles. “Sorry. Yes, I totally do. I really need something or someone to take my mind off of things.” she tells him and he looks at her curiously.

“Anything you wanna talk about?” Travis wonders and she shakes her head. “Come on, Vic. I thought we are friends?”

“It’s just that there is this guy and I just need to forget about him so a night out with you and Michael is the perfect thing to do.”

“Why do you need to forget the guy?” Travis wants to know.

“Um, he is...” Vic thinks for a second. “...he is committed to someone else and it’s just the wrong timing for us.” she answers and technically she ain’t lying. He is committed to the Seattle Fire Department and the timing for them couldn’t suck more.

“Oh. Yeah, you should definitely stay away from that guy then.” her friend says and Vic nods and smiles at him.

The rest of her shift is spent with chores. Lucas doesn’t come out of his office until the end of shift and leaves without a word to the team. 

\----------

Vic, Travis and Michael end up going to Joe’s and it’s packed. Vic finds several guys hot enough to take home and that is her plan for tonight. She needs a good lady to maybe forget about that other good lay about a month ago.

“Do you know what was up with our captain today?” Travis asks as they finally find a table and sit down.

“Why would I know?” she wonders.

“I saw you come out of his office, so you obviously talked to him. Did he say anything to you?”

“No, he didn’t. He was his usual self.” Vic shrugs and looks at Michael. “So, how was your day? How are things going at 23?”

Michael sighs, “Worst station ever. I can’t believe I’m stuck there.”

Travis hugs his husband and gives him a kiss on the cheek which makes Vic feel like an intruder. She has spend a lot of time with the two and sometimes she wishes she could have what they have. They are so in sync and so in love that it’s sickening sometimes but really it’s just the sweetest thing. They always hold hands or are touching in some way and smiling at each other and Vic is pretty sure that when they are together that they don’t see anyone else just each other. She finds that lately she has been craving this as well but she has been craving it with a person she has no business thinking about in that manner. 

Vic huffs and then sighs and Travis finally turns to her.

“Thinking about that guy again?” he asks and Vic nods.

“You know the best way to get over one guy is to get under another.” Michael suggests and Travis laughs.

“He is kinda right. Just find yourself some hottie and take him home with you. I mean you are beautiful I’m sure half the guys here have already pictured you naked, so go find yourself a victim for tonight.” Travis suggests and Vic nods in agreement.

“I’ll just observe for a while and then make my decision.” she says proudly and the couple nods at her.

“Hey, isn’t that Captain Ripley over there?” Michael suddenly says and Vic turns around to find him with a gorgeous blonde, long legs and rather busty. She is the complete opposite of her and Vic feels her heart drop. He came with a date and she shouldn’t feel upset about it because she was just about to find herself a guy to take home but it still hurts.

“I think that’s his ex-wife Eva.” Travis says.

“She is gorgeous.” Vic replies and sees both men shrug.

“I mean if you are into that type of woman. I always thought the captain should date women that are more natural like you.” Travis tells Vic, making her choke on her drink rather loudly, drawing everyone’s attention to herself.

“Are you okay?” Michael asks worried and Vic nods.

  
“Yeah, that just went down the wrong pipe.” she coughs and wipes her mouth. “What makes you say that?” she asks Travis.

“I don’t know I just think the two of you would look good together. That’s all.” he explains and Michael nods.

“You do realize that he is like 10 years old than me?” 

“I didn’t say you should date him. I just said that I think the two of you would make a good looking couple and well you would also make good looking babies with gorgeous hair.” he says and smiles.

“Can we stop this crazy talk and find me a guy to go home with? I’m ready to have some fun.” she says as she drowns her drink and looks around. She finds a rather cute guy at the bar and waves him over.

“Hi, my name is Vic and these are Travis and Michael.” she introduces herself and her friends as the handsome stranger approaches her.

“Hi, I’m Chris.” he smiles at her and Vic has to admit that he has a great smile and some nice dimples.  _ He will definitely do _ , she thinks.

Half an hour and a couple of drinks later, Travis and Michael had gone off somewhere and Vic and Chris are making out like two horny teenagers in a secluded area of the bar.

“I think we should go to my place.” Vic suggests and he breaks the kiss and smiles at her.

“Are you sure?” he asks and she nods. “Okay, let me just quickly use the restroom. I’ll be right back.”

Vic watches Chris disappear into the men’s room and turns around to watch Lucas with his ex Eva and they are still just talking. They look kinda awkward and Lucas doesn’t look like he is very comfortable being there with her or even happy to be there with her and then he turns his head and his eyes lock with hers and she realizes that she can’t do this. She can’t just sleep with another guy because she is hung up on the guy that is currently staring at her. So Vic does what she knows best which is run.

\----------

Lucas regrets asking Eva out on a date the very moment they meet up. He had forgotten that they didn’t really have much in common, so dinner is rather boring and she is talking mostly about herself. He doesn’t really get a word in but then again he doesn’t really have much to say. He doesn’t know why he asks her to go for a drink afterwards. All he really wants to do is go home and go home alone but instead here he is on his way to Joe’s bar with his second ex-wife and all he can think about is  _ his _ rookie.

Joe’s bar is rather crowded that night but they still manage to find themselves a table. He excuses himself to get them a couple of drinks. As he looks around he spies a couple of familiar faces and then he sees her. Victoria, together with Travis and his husband Michael and of course fate has to mess with him and have her be there. He pays for the drinks and walks back to his table. He tries talking to Eva and not staring at Vic but he fails miserably at both.

“Why did you ask me out tonight?” Eva asks after while, startling him.

“What?” 

“I wanted to know why you asked me out? You barely said a word to me at dinner.” he rolls his eyes.

“Kinda hard to get a word in when you talk about yourself the entire time.” he complains and she looks taken aback and he regrets being insensitive. “I’m sorry that was uncalled for. I have no idea why I called you. I just wanted a distraction, I guess.” he confesses and Eva looks towards Vic.

“Distraction from her?” she motions towards his rookie and even though their marriage wasn’t a great one, Eva always knew when he was lying so there was no use in denying it.

“Yeah.”

“And why do you need to distract yourself from her? Does she have a boyfriend? Girlfriend?” 

“Worse.” Lucas says.

“What could be worse other than her already being taken? I mean...” and Lucas watches as it finally dawns on her. “Oh my god, you work with her, am I right?”

“Yeah and it’s not just that I work with her but she is my newest rookie so this makes it even worse.”

“Did you sleep with her?” 

“That was before I knew who she was. We slept together and the next day she was standing in front of me in her uniform reporting for her first shift.” Eva starts laughing and Lucas is anything but amused. “This is not funny. This situation could ruin everything I worked so hard for.”

“Yeah and still you seem really hung up on her and like you don’t want to quit her no matter how much you may lose because of it.”

“That’s nonsense.” he counters.

“Is it? I see the way you look at her and that is not the look of a guy that is ready to just give up and I also saw the way your jaw clenched when that guy came over to her table and they started talking to each other.”

“What are you getting at?” he wonders.

“I think you have feelings for her.” Lucas huffs. “Don’t give me that. I’m not an idiot. I was always good at reading you.”

“It really doesn’t matter what I want. She wants to keep things professional and I’m going to respect her wishes plus she is making out with someone else as we speak so.”

Lucas turns to look at Vic and her new man-friend and finds her alone again, looking at him. Their eyes lock and he sees panic and uncertainty in them. The next thing he knows, she is running out of the bar.

“Well, looks like that guy won’t be going home with her tonight.” Eva says and raises an eyebrow at him.

“So what?” Lucas shrugs.

“Are you really that dense?” she rolls her eyes at him. “Go after her. I know that you want to.”

“You just want me to leave you here alone?” he asks and his ex-wife laughs.

“I think I can manage. Now go.” she basically shoves him out the door.

She is still outside the bar when he finds her.

“Victoria?” she turns around to look at him.

“Captain, hey. What are you doing here?” 

“I was on a date with my ex-wife.” he thinks it’s best to go with the truth.

“Well, I hope you are having fun with her. I’m going home.” he can tell that she is upset from the sound of her voice.

“I was actually on my way home too.” he tells her.

“Oh?“

“Can I walk you home?” he asks and she takes a breath.

“Lucas, I told you that...” 

“I know what you said and I respect that. It’s just that I like your company. I like hanging out with you and talking to you. I just wanna walk you home and talk. That’s it. I promise that I will go home once we reach your place. I would really just like to be friends.” he says and watches as an Uber stops in front of them.

He watches as Vic walks towards the car and opens the door. Lucas hangs his head in defeat. She has made her choice. He turns around to walk away and hears the car door close and the car drive off.

“I thought you wanted to walk me home?” he hears her and his heart skips a beat as he turns around and looks at her with a smile on his face.

They start walking in comfortable silence and he can’t help but smile.

“You owe me twenty bucks for the Uber by the way.” she breaks the silence, making him laugh.

_ This friendship thing might work out after all _ , he thinks. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know Eva is slightly different than what we mostly read of her but I didn't want to make her totally unlikable. Her and Lucas were absolutely wrong for each other but she still knows him pretty well.


	4. Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic and Lucas try to make the friends-thing work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide

The walk to her place is mostly spend with small talk and Vic is enjoying it way more than she probably should. She likes talking to him. She likes being around him.

They are only a few minutes from her apartment when suddenly it starts raining. At first it’s just a few drops but then it’s pouring down hard and Vic and Lucas start running until they are in front of her building, breathing heavily and laughing. They are soaking wet and shivering.

“We should have taken that Uber,” he teases and she laughs even harder.

“Come on, let’s go upstairs,” she suggests and he stops laughing.

“Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea?” he says but she is already unlocking the door.

“Just to towel off. I would hate for my captain to get sick just because he walked me home,” she tells him as she walks in and motions for him to follow her.

He hesitates for a moment but then follows her inside, into the elevator and lastly into her apartment.

They take their shoes and jackets off before walking into the living room.

“I’m gonna go grab a towel and some dry clothes for you. Wait here,” she tells him and disappears inside her bedroom.

She comes back a minute later with a pair of sweats, a shirt and a towel for him to dry off and change.

“Here, those belonged to my brother. They should fit you,” she smiles as she hands him the clothes.

“Thank you, Vic,” he nods as she walks back into her bedroom.

She quickly dries off and changes into a tank top and some leggings and is about to walk back into her living room but stops dead in her tracks when she sees her very shirtless boss looking at the pictures on her wall. She can’t help but admire his defined arms and back. She wishes she could just walk up to him and kiss him and spend the night with him but she can’t or more like she shouldn’t. They need boundaries if they want to keep working together.

When he is done looking at her pictures, he finally puts on her brother’s shirt and Vic waits a moment longer before walking back into the living room.

“Hey, I’m going to put your wet clothes in the dryer if you don’t mind,” she tells him as she collects his things.

“Sure, thank you, Vic,” he smiles at her.

A moment later she is back and goes straight to the kitchen with him following her. He makes himself comfortable on one of the stools at the counter while Vic grabs two mugs and starts on the hot chocolate.

“What are you making?” he asks curiously.

“Hot chocolate, to warm us up,” she replies and thinks about a better way to warm each other up but she can’t go there. She needs to stop thinking about him in that way.

“I really like your place,” he tells her and she turns around and smiles at him. “It feels very cozy.”

“Yeah, it is. I got really lucky with it. It’s hard to believe that I’ve only been in Seattle for a little over a month.”

“Where are you from?” he asks.

“New York,” she says as she pours the hot chocolate into the mugs and sets them on the counter, then takes a seat next to him.

“That’s a long way from home,” he notes and she smiles sadly.

“Yeah. I just needed to get away,” she sighs

“Get away from what? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I don’t mind. My brother died last year. He...” she takes a deep breath before continuing. “He committed suicide. He was a soldier and after his third tour he just wasn’t the same anymore. It really took a toll on him and one day he just decided that he couldn’t do it anymore and he hung himself,” Vic tells him as the tears run down her face.

“I’m really sorry, Vic. I didn’t know,” he squeezes her hand.

“It’s okay. I haven’t talked about Jason since he died. He was the only family I had and when he died I just decided to pack up my things and move to Seattle to start over. I had just finished the fire academy and luckily, I found a spot at Station 19,” she smiles at him but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“What about your parents?” Lucas wonders.

“I never knew them. They died in a car accident when I was only one year old. My nana raised us until I was fourteen and then she passed away too and my brother who was in college then took care of me until I was eighteen. I went to college and he enlisted. I didn’t see or hear much of him after that. Sometimes I think I was the reason he enlisted. You know, to get away from me and from the responsibility,” she finishes. 

“I’m sure that wasn’t the case,” Lucas tries to assure her as she shrugs.

“What about you? Do you have any siblings?”

“Um, yeah. I have a sister, Jennifer. She is younger than me. Our parents died as well when I was in college. Jen was only ten years old, so I had to be her brother and her parents. It wasn’t easy but we made it work somehow.”

“Wow, who would have thought we have so much in common.”

“Yeah.” 

“Where is your sister now?”

“Oh, she lives in Vancouver with her girlfriend. She always complains that I don’t visit her enough but work always keeps me busy. Although, maybe I should take her up on it one of these days. I have vacation days and I don’t want to be the guy that never uses them,” he jokes and Vic smiles.

“I heard Vancouver is beautiful. You should definitely go and visit her,” Vic tells him as her stomach growls and her face turns red out of embarrassment.

“Somebody is hungry, it seems,” he teases her and she punches him in the shoulder as his own stomach growls and she burst into laughter.

“You are one to talk,” she stands up and walks to her fridge. “I have leftover lasagne if you want? Or we can order something but that might take a while.”

“I didn’t know you cook?” he looks surprised and Vic would take offense in his tone if she actually cooked.

“Not really. I know a few dishes like lasagne, mac and cheese and well I can cook pasta without burning it but that’s all,” he nods as she puts the lasagna on a plate and then into the microwave to heat it up. 

“It smells really good,” he compliments her.

“Thanks. Do you cook?” she asks curiously.

“Yeah. I had to learn after my parents died. I couldn’t let my sister live off of frozen meals.”

The microwave chimes and Vic removes the food from it and puts it on two plates and hands him one.

“We could eat in the living room while watching a movie,” she suggests and he nods and follows her.

They makes themselves comfortable on her sofa. He puts his feet up on her table and she just shakes her head at him but doesn’t say anything instead she uses his legs to put her own feet up.

“Victoria,” he says warningly.

“What? You are using my table, so I’m using your legs. We both win,” she shrugs and he chuckles and shakes his head at her.

They both settle in and she finds them some comedy to watch while they eat in silence.

“This is probably the best lasagne I’ve ever had,” he compliments her when he is done.

“Thank you. It was my nana’s recipe. She was the best cook ever.”

She grabs their plates and walks into the kitchen, quickly rinses the dirty dishes and walks back into the living room to find him asleep on her couch. She can’t help but smile. She wonders whether or not she should wake him up but decides against it. Instead she finds a blanket and pulls it over his sleeping form and then goes to sleep in her own room, hoping that he will still be there in the morning.

Lucas wakes up the next morning in an unfamiliar place and it takes him a moment to realize where he is and what had happened the night before. His first instinct is to flee Vic’s apartment. He shouldn’t be here in the first place but he doesn’t want to leave. He wants to spend more time with her. He decides to stay and make breakfast instead.

He wanders into the kitchen and grabs some ingredients to make pancakes. He is so in his element that he doesn’t hear her approach until he hears the coffee machine running.

“Oh, good morning. I didn’t hear you.”

“Yeah, I figured when I called your name a couple of times and you didn’t answer,” she teases him. “What are you making?”

“Pancakes.”

“I love pancakes,” she says as she grabs two mugs and fills them with hot coffee.

“I know you do. You always have Miller make them for you at work. I think he is scared of you and that’s why he doesn’t complain about it,” he laughs as he watches her put some sugar and coconut milk in his coffee and hands it to him. He looks at her in surprise.

“What? I know how you like your coffee. Big deal.” she shrugs as she hops onto the counter and steals a pancake.

“Stop eating the food. It’s not ready yet. Go set the table instead,” he orders and she huffs.

“Always so bossy,” she complains as she hops of the counter and set the table for them.

“Well to be fair, I am your boss,” he reminds her and laughs while she just rolls her eyes at him.

“You know I could get used to this,” she says as she puts some fresh fruits, maple syrup and other items on the table.

“Get used to what?” he wonders.

“You making me breakfast every morning,” she simply answers and steals another pancake.

“Will you stop eating all the pancakes?” 

“I had two pancakes. That barely qualifies as “all the pancakes”,“ she rolls her eyes again and he chuckles.

“You are impossible,” he says as he turns off the stove and walks towards her.

“That’s part of my charm,” she beams at him as he finally sits down next to her.

“Yes, I guess it is,” he admits as she inhales the food. “Victoria, maybe you should chew your food first?!”

“I’m sorry but I’m starving and these are so damn good and since I can’t have you making me pancakes at home every morning, I must insist on you making them at the station every shift instead of Miller because his are not nearly as fluffy as yours,” she says between bites with her mouth full, making him laugh.

“You better not tell Miller that or you may hurt his feelings.”

Vic laughs at that and almost chokes on her food.

“I told you to slow down,” he says as he hands her a glass of water.

“Thank you,” Vic takes a sip and then another and just stares at him. “You know this is really nice.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hanging out together as friends. Um, I was wondering if you want to stay a little longer after we are done with breakfast? Unless you have to be somewhere else of course,” she wants to know and Lucas knows that he should leave but he wants to stay in this bubble where they can just be themselves with each other even though he doesn’t get to touch and kiss her like he wants to.

“I can stay longer if that’s what you want,” he answers and she smiles at him and nods.

“I would like that very much," she admits and they smile at each other.

They just stare at each other until a knock at the door brings them back to reality.

"Are you expecting anyone?" he wonders and she just shakes her head.

"You should probably hide in my bedroom," she suggests and Lucas feels ridiculous like they are having an affair and he is hiding from her husband but he leaves the kitchen anyway and walks into her bedroom, so she can deal with whoever is at her door.

Vic takes a deep breath and checks once more that Lucas is in the bedroom and the door is closed before opening her front door to find Travis standing there, wearing a spandex bodysuit and a helmet.

"Travis? What are you doing here?" Vic wonders.

"I was supposed to go cycling with Michael but he had to go into work and I was wondering if you want to join me instead?"

"Um,..." she looks towards her bedroom and then back at Travis.

"Oh my god, you are not alone?" Travis realizes and Vic nods. "Is it the guy from last night? He was so hot and so into you."

"Um, yeah Chris from last night."

"He must have been really good if he is still here and still in your bedroom. Go, Vic!" Travis raises his hand to high-five her. "Oh, come on. Don't leave me hanging here," he complains and she gives in and high-fives him.

"Happy now?" she asks somewhat annoyed as Travis nods.

"I'm gonna leave you to it. You have to tell me everything next shift. EVERYTHING!"

"Sure. I should really get back to my...to Chris.” 

“Yeah. Have fun!” Travis smirks and leaves.

Vic closes the door and makes her way into her bedroom. She finds Lucas sitting on her bed.

“Who was it?” he asks as she sits next to him, a little closer than necessary. 

“Travis. He wanted to go cycling,” she answers.

“You could have gone with him. I could have just let myself out.”

“I rather spend time with you,” she admits and can feel her heart beating faster as they stare at each other, her eyes drop to his lips and then back to his eyes.

“Vic, as much as I want to we can’t,” he tells her but doesn’t move away.

“I know and it’s okay. I still really like spending time with you,” Vic nudges his shoulder and he laughs.

“Never thought I’d see the day where one of my firefighters likes hanging out with their boss in their free time,” he says and she snickers.

“Come on, let’s get out of here. Too much temptation in here,” Vic stands up from her bed.

“I don’t need to be in your bedroom to be tempted,” he confesses and she chuckles.

“You are the worst,” she says as she grabs his hand and drags him out of her bedroom. “Let’s go finish up breakfast.”

“And after breakfast?” he wonders as they sit back down at the table in her kitchen.

“I don’t know. Maybe we can braid each others hair and do our nails,” she teases and he chuckles.

“I think I need to rethink this whole friendship thing,” he jokes.

“Too late,” she says and stuffs her mouth with pancake.

Lucas just laughs at her.  _ This is going to be an interesting day _ , he thinks as he eats his own pancakes. 


End file.
